In a plasma system, different tool subsystems are implemented to perform deposition or etching of materials on a substrate. Control of these tool subsystems is achieved through a communications protocol used to send control signals to the tool subsystems. Unfortunately, the current communication protocol between tool subsystems results in delay and variance times. These delay and variance times are often too large (e.g., greater than one percent of the recipe step time) for precise phase and synchronization control of tool subsystems that are required for short (e.g., sub one second to five seconds) steps times used in complex recipe tuning algorithms. That is, the current communication protocol is insufficient for achieving atomic layer precision when performing quasi-ALD or quasi-ALE without using self-limiting reactions.
The background description provided herein is for the purposes of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
It is in this context that disclosures arise.